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 it's not my fault I was born like this!  I'll double-check my inseam when I get some time.
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Oct 21, 2020 13:25
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The backordered microshift brifters showed up on the same day as our first snow, so I get to convert my commuter to drop bars and (if the weather sticks) studded tires together. I got the first half of that done last night, and it's looking like the stem I got is way too long, but it was also free from a spare parts bin, so I'm not too upset. I'm planning to grab another one cheap secondhand and deal with the long reach until it comes, since my commute is all of a few blocks. I should really snag some new brake pads while I'm at it. My first impressions of the microshifters is that they're not too shabby. I really only have my time with 105 5700 to compare them to, but I'd say they're a little chunkier to shift with a bit longer throw to actuate, but pretty sturdy feeling and they do shift nice and cleanly, a bit of a surprise with the old 90s 7 speed derailleurs. It might just be that the old grip shifts that were on it were so worn out that everything feels great by comparison though. They were easy enough to install and came with cables and housings as well, which I didn't expect. I'll throw up some before and after pics once the transformation is complete.
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Oct 21, 2020 14:47
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Shibawanko posted:im also dutch, i commute 50k by bike three times a week, and i also commuted by bike in tokyo for 2 years and this is entirely correct, cycling in tokyo is fine by comparison to many western cities, mostly because there are a lot of quiet side roads, but it's chaotic and people treat cycling as just "walking but with wheels", you are expected to behave like a pedestrian on steroids, not obeying right of way and giving way to cars and pedestrians at all times, riding on the wrong side of the road etc. it's better than, say, thailand though, and probably better than the us Entropist got dunked on because he asserted that only the Dutch do bike commuting right and when the millions of bike commuters in Asia were brought up he dismissed them with an anecdote from his sister in Tokyo. Ignoring just a couple places where bike commuting is ubiquitous and a plenty of infrastructure is implemented, i.e. China. And now I guess you're doing the same thing but with your anecdote from Tokyo???
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Oct 21, 2020 22:13
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He also insists that no one should be allowed to have any fun while on a bicycle and you should never go above a walking speed or else you're doing it wrong. His insights on bike commuting if you wanna be generous are extremely limited to his narrow experience of having well developed cycling infrastructure in an area that's got responsible drivers, that never gets hot and also doesn't have any changes in elevation. So in contrast, do what makes you happy and get as into the gear or whatever as you want. It's pretty swampy and hilly in my area and I wear exercise clothes for biking and change out of them when I arrive.
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Oct 22, 2020 00:13
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Anachronist posted:Entropist got dunked on because he asserted that only the Dutch do bike commuting right and when the millions of bike commuters in Asia were brought up he dismissed them with an anecdote from his sister in Tokyo. Ignoring just a couple places where bike commuting is ubiquitous and a plenty of infrastructure is implemented, i.e. China. And now I guess you're doing the same thing but with your anecdote from Tokyo??? no im not talking about asia in general, i only know about how its done in japan (flawed but still better than the uk), i havent even mentioned asia. i just agree with him about that bike commuting in holland is a good model for how it can work en masse, and that it should involve as little lycra and racing bikes as possible
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Oct 22, 2020 00:24
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One of the things that I hated about bike commuting when I did it more than a decade ago was the small proportion of other riders who were just goddam idiots. I felt bad for being potentially included in the same group as (long rant deleted because irrelevant and poorly written). The awful minority of dicks attract a lot of attention, but I try to remember they're distinctly a minority. The good-enough riders outnumber them at least 10 to 1 (probably more like 50 to 1) but they're practically invisible because they don't try to turn themselves into hood ornaments. Anyway, yeah, don't be a dick. Also, please use your shift key, capitalisation makes words better. *** First commutes in the rain last night and this morning. My cheap plastic fenders are working well, no spray up my back or in my face. My brakes are ridiculous. Starting my descent yesterday, I felt like I had, in effect, no brakes at all. The wet steel rims and the half-worn-out (and only barely aligned) pads were ineffective. After they wiped most of the water off I actually had some braking power, but it was a little dicey. Disk brakes are a high priority for my next bike, even though this junkyard frankenbike is hardly a fair representative.
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Oct 22, 2020 00:46
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Shibawanko posted:no im not talking about asia in general, i only know about how its done in japan (flawed but still better than the uk), i havent even mentioned asia. i just agree with him about that bike commuting in holland is a good model for how it can work en masse, and that it should involve as little lycra and racing bikes as possible Yeah a lot of us agree with you. I do. ITT: many people doing 20km commutes through North American hellsprawls, so advice necessarily focusses on that kind of ride. You'll notice the first post is pretty chill though.
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Oct 22, 2020 00:54
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As promised, here's the before and after so far on my commuter/ around town bike, in preparation for tomorrow's forecasted 6" of snow: Before:  After:  Still needs new brake pads and a much shorter stem, but it's rideable while I sort all that out. The parts I threw on were the quill to threadless stem converter, the free 120mm Orbea stem, and the 42 cm wide compact drops I took off my road bike. The fenders are the same Portland Design Works ones I used last year, the tires are the same 45North Gravdals I used last year. I kind of also want to find a way to further modify the front fender to reduce interference with the shift cables, but it hasn't felt like it's having a noticeable effect yet, so I guess I don't feel too pressured to do it. Once the reach is more manageable I might drop the handlebars down a bit further too, I'll have to see how it feels.
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Oct 22, 2020 01:23
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Shibawanko posted:no im not talking about asia in general, i only know about how its done in japan (flawed but still better than the uk), i havent even mentioned asia. i just agree with him about that bike commuting in holland is a good model for how it can work en masse, and that it should involve as little lycra and racing bikes as possible Yes but the post you quoted was from the conversation where Entropist said only the dutch do it right, I brought up Asia, and he dismissed it with the post you quoted. So presumably you read that conversation and are aware of the context. I'm not trying to say that riding in Tokyo is great, or that riding in Holland is bad, or that TT bikes are the one true way to commute. Just that there are a whole lot of places out there where large fractions of the population commute by bike and they don't do it the dutch way exactly.
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Oct 22, 2020 01:47
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Both of you guys with lovely breaks need to get that fixed as soon as possible and maybe avoid riding in the rain entirely. If you're having issues stopping, you can get seriously injured. Be safe guys
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Oct 22, 2020 04:04
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Oldsrocket_27 posted:As promised, here's the before and after so far on my commuter/ around town bike, in preparation for tomorrow's forecasted 6" of snow: You should get a pair of real fenders. You have all the eyelets for them.
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Oct 22, 2020 04:37
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ExecuDork posted:The wet steel rims and the half-worn-out (and only barely aligned) pads were ineffective. After they wiped most of the water off I actually had some braking power, but it was a little dicey. Disk brakes are a high priority for my next bike, even though this junkyard frankenbike is hardly a fair representative. For sure get some new pads. Always worth it.
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Oct 22, 2020 05:19
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Oldsrocket_27 posted:My first impressions of the microshifters is that they're not too shabby. I really only have my time with 105 5700 to compare them to ExecuDork posted:My brakes are ridiculous. Starting my descent yesterday, I felt like I had, in effect, no brakes at all. The wet steel rims and the half-worn-out (and only barely aligned) pads were ineffective. After they wiped most of the water off I actually had some braking power, but it was a little dicey. Disk brakes are a high priority for my next bike, even though this junkyard frankenbike is hardly a fair representative. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 09:25 on Oct 22, 2020 |
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Oct 22, 2020 09:22
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evil_bunnY posted:That was not a great 105 generation. I'm not a fan of mine. I liked mine until I got a 5800 bike.... Holy poo poo it was like night and day.
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Oct 22, 2020 10:32
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norp posted:I liked mine until I got a 5800 bike.... Holy poo poo it was like night and day.
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Oct 22, 2020 12:06
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kimbo305 posted:For sure get some new pads. Always worth it. Yeah, my plan for this weekend is to spend some time with my bike on the stand. Priority 1 is the brakes, I've got everything I need to replace the cables so I'll do that for sure. The front brakes were a bit off this morning - one side was rubbing, the other was contacting the wheel rim too far towards the spokes (like, popping "under" the rim and just diving for the spokes) so I fiddled with them for 5 minutes. They're functional (and I absolutely learned to do the anticipation-wipe thing in the first 30 seconds of Wednesday's trip home), but need more adjustment fine-tuning anyway, and new pads make sense regardless. The chain drops off at least once per day, so I plan to puzzle over the derailleurs as well. I'll have put about 150km on the bike, according to my el-cheapo computer, in a touch over 2 weeks so a bit of maintenance seems like a good idea.
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Oct 23, 2020 04:05
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Thanks for the links and suggestions! Still looking at options. Couple of follow up questions. I see this has an internal hub and belt drive. Does anyone have any experience with those? Pros/cons versus a traditional chain/exposed hub? Lot of dirt and rocks out here but not a lot of rain/snow or mud. Does anyone have experience with steel versus aluminum/carbon frames? Based on what I've read so far it sounds like a steel frame would be better for me since I'm riding casually and I'm not going to be trying to squeeze every bit of speed out of a bike, but I'd like to get some other opinions. Zonko_T.M. fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Oct 25, 2020 |
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Oct 25, 2020 03:51
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Steel is real! (It makes no difference for casual riding and if you really get into it, it really depends on what type of steel) Bah, edit-edit: Rough terms: Aluminum: Light, cheap(ish). Transmits a lot of roadbuzz Carbon: Very light, expensive. Transmits some roadbuzz. Has a tendency to explode when bikes are dropped on curbs Steel: The right type of steel can be almost as light as the above. Wrong type is much much much heavier. Transmits a lot less roadbuzz. Price will vary. ImplicitAssembler fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Oct 25, 2020 |
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Oct 25, 2020 04:11
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Zonko_T.M. posted:Thanks for the links and suggestions! Still looking at options. Couple of follow up questions. That bike I linked will be a great starter bike you can grow into. Belt drive and internal hub is great, zero maintenance. All you’d ever have to do to that bike is air up the tires and occasionally adjust the brakes. I have a belt drive bike with a 8 speed alfine and it’s a joy to cruise around on. 
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Oct 25, 2020 04:33
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Zonko_T.M. posted:I see this has an internal hub and belt drive. Does anyone have any experience with those? Pros/cons versus a traditional chain/exposed hub? Lot of dirt and rocks out here but not a lot of rain/snow or mud. - Longer maintenance intervals (not maintenance free like some people say) - belts Las a long time - no chain grease to make a mess - no derailer dangling down to get knocked out alignment - can shift without pedaling Cons: - not every shop knows how to overhaul gear hubs. - they don't shift great under load (it isn't hard to get used to soft pedaling for half a second) - belts are expensive - hub is expensive if you ignore maintenance - certain gear ratios will feel less effecient than their deraileur equivalent. I recommend gear hubs and if you are willing to spend the extra money and aren't going to be racing. I can go either way with the belt drive. I like customizing my gear ratio, but that gets expensive with belt drive components. E: I have heard about reliability issues with the 11speed hub a while ago when compared to the 8 speed hub. I'm not sure if that was from normal use or mid drive ebike abuse, but it is worth taking a look into. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Oct 25, 2020 |
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Oct 25, 2020 04:43
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Steel is real! This is a good summary, but I'll qualify it by saying: modern aluminum isn't very buzzy, and even the most extreme light steel frame is still typically at least a pound heavier than a typical modern carbon road frame, and super light carbon frames weigh less than half as much as super light steel ones.
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Oct 25, 2020 15:26
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bicievino posted:This is a good summary, but I'll qualify it by saying: modern aluminum isn't very buzzy, and even the most extreme light steel frame is still typically at least a pound heavier than a typical modern carbon road frame, and super light carbon frames weigh less than half as much as super light steel ones. True, and one more point that modern high volume road tire (35c+) pretty much removes the "road buzz" effect completely for all materials. Weight, flex, corrosion, cost are the factors (first and last being important for most people).
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Oct 25, 2020 16:06
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imo the biggest advantage of steel is repairability. there are great bikes made out of aluminum and carbon, but any serious damage to the frame and you don't have a bike anymore. for example, in the mountain bike thread, there's a guy with a cracked seat tube. since his frame is steel, he was able to get a local welder to fix it for $45. if the frame was aluminum, it would have been trash. if it was carbon, you'd have to send it to a carbon repair specialist, and it would take several weeks plus several hundred dollars
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Oct 25, 2020 20:03
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ImplicitAssembler posted:Steel is real! The small weight penalty is worth the bombproofness and plush ride for a single do-it-all bike.
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Oct 25, 2020 20:39
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One downside I've noticed in my aluminum tough road is the flex on the front fork means that the disc brake will rub in turns unless I adjust the left side out a bit. Not the end of the world, but requires a little extra effort to get the caliper seated in the correct position. Otherwise, bike is fun and the lightest one I got (the others being steel or my carbon full suspension)
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Oct 25, 2020 20:57
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Steel bikes also look cool (the actual number-one reason people like them).
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Oct 25, 2020 20:59
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theoretically you could make a bike with steel-like tubing sizes out of carbon fiber, yeah? it's just that nobody does because it isn't aero
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Oct 25, 2020 21:23
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DELETE CASCADE posted:theoretically you could make a bike with steel-like tubing sizes out of carbon fiber, yeah? it's just that nobody does because it isn't aero Light carbon have big tubes than maximize strength to weight, tubes that are bigger and less aero than steel tubes or simple cylindrical carbon tubes. Aero carbon frames require more material and still have a deficit in weight to pure lightweight frames.
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Oct 25, 2020 21:46
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bicievino posted:This is a good summary, but I'll qualify it by saying: modern aluminum isn't very buzzy, and even the most extreme light steel frame is still typically at least a pound heavier than a typical modern carbon road frame, and super light carbon frames weigh less than half as much as super light steel ones. You can get steel bikes below UCI's minimum weight. Sure you can get even lighter carbon bikes, but again, once you get below that weight, it's kinda pointless. I'll admit that I haven't ridden a 'nice' alu bikes in years, but last I tried, a steel bike was still way more comfortable and a carbon somewhere inbetween...but I'd probably still take an alu frame over a 4130 frame. A good compromise is sticking a carbon fork on an alu frame.
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Oct 26, 2020 02:26
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I’ve had a cannondale synapse with a carbon frame, a Caad12 in aluminum frame (with carbon fork), and a jamis renegade with a steel frame. I...don’t notice any difference in how they ride yet, save for the geometry: The synapse was much more comfortable than the Caad for any ride over 40 miles. Both had bike fits on them but who knows. The jamis is only used to commute about 5 moles each way. It’s got 38’s on the wheels set up tubeless and I still don’t see a lot of difference in how it absorbs the road much different than my caad12 with 28’s on it. Maybe I’m broken.
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Oct 26, 2020 02:33
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nwin posted:I’ve had a cannondale synapse with a carbon frame, a Caad12 in aluminum frame (with carbon fork), and a jamis renegade with a steel frame. Nah. I think a lot of people haven't recalibrated their perceptions of what aluminum rides like since huge round tube Cannondales or Kleins on 23mm tires. Like poteto said, tires make waaaaay more difference than material. At most pricepoints, aluminum is going to be a better choice than other materials, especially in the commuting thread context. And above a certain point (depending on your road quality, I guess) there's diminishing returns on that. Personally I notice differences between 28s and 35s, but almost no comfort difference between 35 and 42.
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Oct 26, 2020 03:20
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Zonko_T.M. posted:I see this has an internal hub and belt drive. Does anyone have any experience with those? Pros/cons versus a traditional chain/exposed hub? Lot of dirt and rocks out here but not a lot of rain/snow or mud. You never have to clean it, belt lasts ±20x longer than a decent chain (same with sprockets), completely silent. The downside is that gates locks you into a geared crank or hub. Pinion and rohloff are 'spensive, and the nexus-5 I have now is decent but really can't shift under the most minimal of loads, and you have to dip it in fresh lube every 2k. Overall I love gates but am not in love with nexus-5. I really want to try a gates+rohloff setup. bicievino posted:Like poteto said, tires make waaaaay more difference than material. At most pricepoints, aluminum is going to be a better choice than other materials, especially in the commuting thread context. Carbon's great for road and MTB frames. I'd always commute on something else. Not sure I agree about tire sizes. 35mm vs 47 is an obvious difference to me, but I think past 35/40mm the quality/design/pattern of the tire makes at least as important a difference. evil_bunnY fucked around with this message at 12:14 on Oct 26, 2020 |
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Oct 26, 2020 12:09
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Just went up from 35 to 40 on my latest commuter, and there's a definite boost in confidence that I random grates, potholes, etc won't catch and destroy my wheel.
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Oct 26, 2020 12:47
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Giant Metal Robot posted:Just went up from 35 to 40 on my latest commuter, and there's a definite boost in confidence that I random grates, potholes, etc won't catch and destroy my wheel. Oh, yeah, that's a great point. If you ride somewhere with train/tram tracks, running like a 47 that can't actually get jammed in the tracks is loving sweet.
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Oct 26, 2020 16:59
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Does anyone know of any tubeless, studded tires? Thanks in advance! e: 700x38c please iospace fucked around with this message at 21:45 on Oct 26, 2020 |
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Oct 26, 2020 21:40
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iospace posted:Does anyone know of any tubeless, studded tires? Thanks in advance! 45Nrth has a folding bead, 60tpi version of the Gravdal. Those might be tubeless. Worth an email, anyway. The version of the Kahva with similar specs is tubeless ready, but it’s 29x2.25.
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Oct 27, 2020 15:47
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My (avatar yielding) experimental magnetic reed switch for piggybacking the regenerative braking on the hydraulic disc brake handle has failed. It's configured as normally closed unless in presence of a magnet, and now it's closed all the time regardless of magnetism. I can't ride like that so I disconnected the thing. It will be difficult to do but I'll try to excavate the little glass ampoule from the epoxy and look at it under a microscope but my working hypothesis is that there's been arcing that has eroded or welded the actual switching surface. I've seen it happen on relays before. I'll try to figure out what resistor I can get away with in parallell with the switch without the ESC going into brake mode and see if that will get rid of the problem long term. Also I think I will put the switch for front wheel regen on the rear wheel brake handle this time. Seems unorthodox but it would give me casual braking on both wheels with just one actuator, possible to do while signalling left turn which in my mind is probably more important than signalling when turning right. I'll also try to figure out some adjustment for the magnet position. Last attempt was a little too sensitive and brake feel is important for enjoyable riding IMO.
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Oct 28, 2020 11:52
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If you get tired of going the DIY route, these things do exist: https://ebikes.ca/product-info/grin-products/tripwire.html Some e-brakes use a hall effect sensor which takes a mechanical contactor out of the problem, but support for that would depend on your controller. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Oct 28, 2020 |
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Oct 28, 2020 15:20
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CopperHound posted:If you get tired of going the DIY route, these things do exist: Cool product, but I'm not sure I like the way it's mounted inside the handle like they show. Seems like it would get damaged easily. Also I'd worry that the mechanical cable would freeze up when cold and wet. I'll give this reed switch at least one more go before I look into another route though. A hydraulic pressure switch is another tempting solution to the problem. Invalido fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Oct 28, 2020 |
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Oct 28, 2020 16:19
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Got rained on hard on todays commute, equal amounts rain and splashing from passing cars. Found out that my fav arcteryx jacket somehow pools water 2-3 cm high in the breastpockets. Other then that it was easy going with plenty of wool on, exchanged some thumbs ups and grins with the other bad rear end people commuting on bikes.
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Oct 28, 2020 21:24
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